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Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Interview with YA novelist Aisha Tritle

Novelist Aisha Tritle
joins me today and we’re chatting about her new young adult adventure, Occidis.

Bio:

Aisha Tritle is a novelist, playwright, actress,
singer, marketer and tea fiend. Spending her childhood in Arizona, she was
active in the performing arts - which led to her moving to Los Angeles at the
age of eighteen to pursue a career in acting. She has studied with famed acting
coach John Kirby, and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Turning
her hand to plays, she completed two One-Act Comedies in 2016: of which, one
was recently performed and published in the U.K.

Aisha spends her days in sunny Los Angeles
producing films, marketing for innovative tech startups, and working on her
true passion of writing novels.

Welcome, Aisha. Please tell us about your
current release.

Occidis is a young adult adventure novel about Sophia,
a girl who was recruited by a Danish billionaire at the age of seven to train
to become an assassin in Program Occidis. The story picks up when she’s seventeen,
and suffering from panic attacks. She’s pulled out of the program when on a job
and told she’s been chosen to take down the man who’s enslaved her for almost
half her life. She ends up working with quite a few intriguing individuals and
overcoming her confidence issues to destroy the program she left.

What inspired you to write this book?

I grew up with a lot of homeschooled genius
children! Plus, I was obsessed with the idea of being a spy when I was little.
So, I always daydreamed about what it would be like if child geniuses were
recruited as spies. The premise of Occidis
is essentially that, but altered a little.

Excerpt from Occidis:

Sophia ran out of the house, feeling as if her
heels had been set alight. She had barely made it down the gravel walkway when
a thunderous roar met her ears. A great blast of heat knocked her off her feet,
and she slid down the gravel, her cheek scraping against the rocks.

Hot air filled her nostrils. Convulsing with
coughs, Sophia slowly pushed herself up. Her blooded face turned back to look
at the wreckage, her eyes filled with horror. There was nothing left except
black dust and smoke.

“No, no, no,” muttered Sophia. She hadn’t
managed to stand yet. She knelt, her hands hugging her sides. She turned her
head, searching the burnt rubble and surrounding acre. There were no signs of
life.

A solitary
tear rolled down Sophia’s cheek. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’m releasing a vampire novella, “Vamp,” in
either late May or early June. It’s the first in a series, “Quimby Bay.” I’m
also working on the sequel to Occidis.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When my first play, “The Misfortune of Lionel
Schlüsselberg,” was published by Lazy Bee Scripts! I’d written for fun before
that - but when the play was published and then performed, I felt like I’d
become a proper writer.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what
do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I don’t write full-time, but I wish I could! I’m
the Head of Marketing at a professional networking startup, Meanwise. I also
work as a marketing consultant for a few other companies. I try to make sure
that I devote a couple hours every evening to writing. It’s hard to write
consistently, but I try my best.

What would you say is your interesting writing
quirk?

Oh goodness. Perhaps that I have to listen to
“mood music” when I write. I compile different playlists for different novels
or plays. I hear that’s really common though, so it might not be considered a
“quirk.” I’m a bit boring, haha.

As a child, what did you want to be when you
grew up?

For a while, it changed every day! I wanted to
be a singer, then a teacher, then a singer again, then a pianist, etc. I
eventually decided on acting when I was eleven, and started training with an
acting coach in Hollywood. I did the whole Disney Channel audition route when I
was in junior high and high school. I still do auditions now, but marketing is
my day job.

Anything additional you want to share with the
readers?

If you like Occidis,
please rate and review it on Amazon or Goodreads! I would greatly appreciate
that.

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About Me

I'm a NH native and love New England. I love writing about the region, exploring it on foot, on my bicycle, and in my car. There are so many small communities and fun and interesting people in this area, that I could be here a lifetime and not do all it is I want to do. :)

I'm a moderator at The Writer's Chatroom that hosts live chats with guest authors on Sunday nights 7-9PM EST. Join the e-mail list to get notifications of upcoming guests, then stop in and join the conversation!